Buddahist thoughts on dating

Of course, he wouldn't have any way of knowing about sex from personal experience.

But there are alternative approaches to sex and spirituality too.

For instance, Tantric yoga uses sexuality and sexual energy to facilitate spiritual growth, and has been doing so for millennia.

So sex is not necessarily detrimental or antithetical to spirituality. So how can the ordinary person cultivate peace of mind, serenity, psychological and emotional stability while at the same time being fully engaged in life's incessant drama?

Indeed, it could be argued that sex is an essential part of psychological, emotional and spiritual growth and development. The institution of marriage, monogamy and fidelity is one way society tries to keep things simple for people regarding sexuality. In what Nikos Kazantzakis' Zorba the Greek called "the full catastrophe"?

And one which, as we have seen in the perverse sexual escapades of supposedly celibate priests in the Catholic Church, evangelical preachers and various and sundry spiritual gurus, is dubious at best.

But obviously, this is no prescription for humanity in general. Simplicity and the avoidance or renunciation of what Buddha called , desire or attachment, the root of most human suffering.

If we all became celibate, there might be more serenity, but the human race would come to a screeching halt. Not to mention no more love songs, romantic poetry, self-sacrificing acts of devotion, etc. So if we want peace of mind, and mental and emotional stability, simplifying life seems the obvious solution.

If you just, you see, physically experience, then you sometimes—you may find a certain desire. And I told the married people, their mental state, their emotional state, too much ups and downs. But then thinking—thinking it's a real job, then feel, too much problem— (LAUGHTER) DALAI LAMA: Too much dirty things like that. Does the 14th Dalai Lama really think sex is "dirty"?

In exploring this topic, participants are invited to focus on one or more key terms or notions, such as saṃjñā, manovijñāna, manas, vitarka/vicāra, manojalpa, prajñapti, and pratyakṣa, as well as pairs like vikalpa versus nirvikalpa (or avikalpaka), svalakṣaṇa versus sāmānyalakṣaṇa, dravya-svalakṣaṇa versus āyatana-svalakṣaṇa, and so on.